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A group of Congressmen sends letter to Barack Obama reflecting importance of US-Azerbaijan relations â€“ UPDATED

A group of Congressmen sends letter to Barack Obama reflecting importance of US-Azerbaijan relations â€“ <font color=red>UPDATED </font>

30 March 2010 12:17 (UTC +04:00)

Foreign Ministryâ€™s press service told APA that it was due to the activity of the Azerbaijani embassy in the US.

The letter said: â€œWe are contacting you to express our views regarding the Republic of Azerbaijan. As you know, Azerbaijan is an important strategic partner of the United States. Located in a geopolitically dynamic region between Europe and Asia and sandwiched between Russia and Iran, Azerbaijan is a secular county with a predominantly Muslim population that has also been home for more than a millennia for vibrant Christian and Jewish communities. Azerbaijan has opened Caspian energy resources to development by U.S companies and has emerged as a key player for global energy security. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline project, supported by both the Clinton and George W. Bush Administrations, is the most successful project contributing to the development of the South Caucuses region and has become the main artery delivering Caspian Sea hydrocarbons to the US and our partners in Europe. Notably, in 2009 Azerbaijan provided nearly one quarter of all crude oil supplies to Israel and is considered a leading potential natural gas provider for the U.S supported Nabucco pipeline.
On the security front, immediately after 9/11 Azerbaijan was among the first to offer strong support and assistance to the United States. Azerbaijan participated in operations in Kosovo and Iraq and is actively engaged in Afghanistan, having recently doubled its military presence there. Azerbaijan has extended important over-flight clearances for US and NATO flights to support ISAF and has regularly provided landing and refueling operations at its airports for US and NATO forces. Also, Azerbaijan plays an important role in the Northern Distribution Network, a supply route to Afghanistan by making available its ground and Caspian naval transportation facilities. Additionally, Azerbaijan provides specialized training for Afghan police, border guard officers and de-miners, education and training of Afghan civilian and military medical doctors, and medical treatment of Afghan citizens at Azeri hospitals. Azerbaijan has provided medical equipment and supplies to Afghanistan as well as assisting in the construction of schools and hospitals there. Azerbaijan remains a reliable partner of NATO and the EU in the South Caucuses through its consistent and effective contribution to common goals and objectives. Azerbaijan is also an active partner of the United States in efforts regarding the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction through its participation in programs such as Caspian Guard and Cooperative Threat Reduction. Against this backdrop, Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act of 1992, which prohibits direct U.S government assistance to Azerbaijan, remains a serious obstacle to expanding the strategic partnership between our two counties and is contrary to U.S. national interest in the region. Furthermore, the absence of a U.S. Ambassador to Baku since July 2009 creates unnecessary uncertainties. Finally, as one of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group charged with resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the United States must engage more actively in mediation efforts, as is the case with Moscow and Paris.
Thank you in advance for your consideration. We look forward to continuing to work with you as we engage with Azerbaijan on these and other important issuesâ€.

The letter was sent by the Congressmen Bill Shuster, Michael Conaway, Dan Burton, Howard Coble, Denny Rehberg, Solomon Ortiz, Michael McMahon, John Boozman, Sue Myrick and Tim Ryan.